FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY IN NIGERIA

Food, one of the basic necessities of life is needed for the sustenance of life. Thus, the goal of a good government especially on agricultural transformation is the attainment of food sufficiency through the promotion and implementation of good agricultural programmes. Nigeria, like every other developing country since independence struggles to provide sufficient food for her citizen. Nigeria with about 140 million people (2006, Population Census) is facing a deepening food crisis.

Food Security and its manifestations in Nigeria: In the Agricultural Trade Development

Assistance Act of 1990, it is seen as “access by all people at all times to sufficient food and nutrition for healthy and productive life”. USAID Bureau for Africa sees food security as a situation “when all people at all times have access to sufficient food security to meet their dietary needs for a productive and healthy life.

Food security was defined in the 1974 by World Food Summit as “availability at all times of adequate world food supplies of basic foodstuffs to sustain a steady of expansion of food consumption and to offset fluctuations in production and prices”.

In 1983, FAO expanded its concept to include security access by vulnerable people to available supplies, implying that attention should be balanced between the demand and supply side of food security equation. This definition was again refined in the Food Security 2000 as “ a situation that exists when all people at all times have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutrition food that meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

 There are four dimensions to this: (i) availability of sufficient amount of food which is a function of food production (ii) stability of supply over time which depends on the ability to preserve/store produced food and supplement available food through imports if necessary (iii) access to the available food which depends on income levels and its distribution and (iv) food utilization which encompasses procurement, ingestion and digestion all of which are dependent on nutritional quality, education and health.

  The Understanding of any concept/topic starts with definition of terms.

Food: This is any substance, solid or liquid which when ingested and absorbed gives nutrient to the body

 Nutrition: This is the science of food and its constituents, as to how it is being ingested, digested, absorbed and utilized in the body to promote optimum growth and development.

Concept: this can be said to be an idea, strategy or plan to achieve a desired goal.      

 ISSUES FACING FOOD AND NUTRITION IN NIGERIA

Since the beginning of colonial rule, shortage of food in Nigeria has become more recurrent to the extent that at present, it has reached a stage of crisis. This has manifested in various forms such as stagnation in agricultural production, the growing dependence on food importation, increasing and prohibitive food prices, low nutritional standards and so on. Agriculture which was the backbone of Nigerian economy at independence began to decline owing to the increased importance of oil in the economy in the 1970s and 1980s even up till today. It is very pathetic that Nigeria which was an exporter of food in the 1960s became a net importer of food in the 1970s.

This was due largely to the neglect of the agricultural sector. The contribution of agricultural sector to the country’s GDP has continued to drop.  For example, the GDP dropped from 63% in 1960 to 12.6% in 1982. In the area of food production, the story has been one of stagnation and decline. For instance, in 1960, food production grew at almost 4% per annum compared with an annual population growth of about 3% between 1960 and 1967

From that time up till 1970, food situation in the country has worsened to the extent that it dropped to a net -15% between 1970 and 1977. The implication of the high food import bill was that substantial portion of the much needed foreign exchange meant for importing capital goods for developmental purposes were spent on food importation. Despite the two major agricultural policies of Operation Feed the Nation and Green Revolution Programme launched in 1976 and 1980 by Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo and Alhaji Sheu Shagari respectively to increase food production, attainment of self-sufficiency in food supply and self-reliance in food production, the situation was far from being abated.   

Even as at today, the situation has not changed. This is observed from the statement of the CBN Governor, Mr. Lamido Sanusi when he spoke at the Northern Nigeria Economic Summit organized by the Northern Political Summit Group otherwise known as “G20” at Kaduna that Nigeria spent ₦155 billion on rice importation in 2010. While presenting the Lead paper titled “Mobilizing Capital for Transformation of Northern Nigeria”, he wondered why Nigeria should be a major importer of rice when it had good climate and resources to produce staple food locally.

The escalation of food prices, severe food scarcity and poor harvest losses are another major aspects of the manifestation of food insecurity in Nigeria is food insecure because domestic aggregate production of food grows at slower rate than the population. He therefore opined that Nigeria’s food production was not balance since demand side was greater than the supply side. The Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Prof. Sheikh Abdullah disclosed in an interview with the New Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday 5th May, 2011 on the global food price increases which he hinged on some factors among which were, high population growth, low income, land constraints and under investment in rural infrastructure, poor agricultural mechanization and limited farmer’s access to agricultural inputs. He also said that due to this development, some states in the country recorded poor harvest occasioned by natural disasters such as flooding, inadequate farm input and declining interest in agriculture, particularly among youths. He submitted that the high cost of food constitutes an “inherent” danger to nation security and thus the need to address the threat was urgent because of its contribution to the GDP and employment opportunities.

Food nutrition is another aspect of the manifestation of food insecurity in Nigeria. This can be measured through the use of calorie, protein and vitamins intake per day per person. In 1997, the UNDP reported that the average daily calorie intake in Nigeria was 2125kcal which was less than the daily recommended average of 2550kcal minimum standard. Egbuna, 2001 also emphasized that other food values such as protein, vitamin and minerals also fall below the component dietary requirement in Nigeria. Food security situation has not improved in Nigeria despite previous government efforts because of some factors among which is the ineffective and inconsistency in agricultural food policy.

     SOME FOOD AND NUTRITION POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES IN NIGERIA    

The River Basin Development Authority (RBDA): was first conceived in 1963 with the involvement of the Lake Chad Basin and River Niger Commissions for countries bordering on Lake and the Niger River. The concept was first tried in 1973 with the establishment of the Sokoto-Rima and the Chad Basin Development Authorities. Eleven others were set up under Degree Nos 25 and 31 of 1976 and 1977 respectively all over the country. These were Sokoto-Rima (for Sokoto), Hadjia-Jamare (for Kano), the Chad (for  Borno), the Upper Benue (for Gongola), the Lower Belt (for Benue and Plateau), the Cross River (for Cross River), the Ogun-Osun (for Oyo, Ogun and Lagos), the Benin-Owena (for Bendel and Ondo) and the Niger Delta (for Rivers).  The RBDA was expected to cater for the development of land and water resources potentials of Nigeria for agricultural purposes and general rural development. The RBDA did not yield much result. If they did, the federal military government that came on board would not have ordered their fold-up. The activities of RBDA were hindered as a result of inadequate planning data, shortage of funds, difficulties in securing land for development especially in the South, shortage of qualified and experienced technical and professionals.

 Operation Feed the Nation (OFN)

In 1976, Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) was launched by Obasanjo regime for the purpose of increasing food production and attaining self-sufficient in food supply. People were encouraged to grow their own food irrespective of their occupation. Government made effort to subsidized essential farm inputs like fertilizer, livestock feed, pesticide, farm implements among others. The effect of OFN as a development strategy was not as profound as it initiators may want people to believe. The programme, although succeeded in creating awareness to the citizenry about food shortage and how to fight against the problem, the programme did not actually achieved its set goals due to poor implementation and funding. Besides, the subsidized fertilizers meant for farmers got into wrong hands. 

Green Revolution Programme

The Green Revolution Programme was launched in 1980 following the return to civil rule after thirteen years of military interregnum under the leadership of President Alhaji Shehu Shagari. The objective of the programme was centred on self-reliance in food production and the diversification of Nigeria’s sources of exchange. The programme covered all areas of agricultural production, food and export crops, livestock, fisheries and forestry.

The programme provides generous supply of fertilizers, which the construction of rural physical infrastructures were embarked upon through massive federal funds allocation. The programme recorded some positive results as there was increase in cultivated land hectares, livestock, forestry and fishery production. The effect of the achievements of the programme was short-lived due to shortage of funds, mismanagement and fraud, poor and lack of thorough research and extension services, problem of land acquisition, inadequate data, and lack of infrastructural facilities.    Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP)

Between 1986 and 1993, a number of programmes were introduced by General Babangida regime to support agricultural development. They were, first, the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), which was meant to deregulate and stimulate local production. Though SAP in principle was a good programme, the then government was not committed to its faithful implementation, and second, the Directorate of Foods, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DIFRRI). DIFRRI was a laudable programme which was aimed at alleviating poverty and hunger. The purpose of DIFRRI was to open-up rural areas, construct feeder roads and bridges, water supply among others which in turn would help to promote agricultural development. The programme eventually failed because the officials in charge of it became corrupt and thus the programme lost its focus.

Government budget for agriculture over the years by successive governments is an indication that frantic effort has not been made to tackle the problem of food security in the country. Poor funding is said to be one of the major problems which hindered the successful implementation of various agricultural policies and programmes that have been formulated in the country.

Another major reason for lack of successful implementation of some agricultural policies geared towards food sufficiency in the country is mismanagement. Nigeria is blessed and endowed with fertile land for agricultural development.

Various regimes in the country over the years were guilty of awarding contracts and making payment while concrete efforts were not made to adequately supervise and monitor such projects. Sincerely, majority of the projects are either abandoned or uncompleted

It is abundantly clear from the above discourse that over the years, Nigeria has been battling with problem of food sufficiency. Despite various policies and programmes being formulated to tackle the perennial food crisis, the situation is far from being abated. The ugly situation is hinged on the absence of good governance which manifests itself in various forms such as corruption, mismanagement, lack of political leadership, maladministration, and so on. Good governance considering its characteristics and principles is critical to the attainment of food sufficiency in Nigeria. The absence of good governance over the years has been the bane of food security in the country.